


Boys of Summer

by UlternateFreak



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Boys Being Boys, Developing Friendships, Friendship/Love, Harley Keener & Peter Parker Friendship, Inspired by Music, Light-Hearted, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Possibly Pre-Slash, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark's Opinion, Tony Stark-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 23:59:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30114024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UlternateFreak/pseuds/UlternateFreak
Summary: Tony muses his thoughts over the budding relationship of his protégé and his first 'adopted' son.Inspired by: The Boys of Summer (Don Henley).
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	Boys of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> As the summary surmises, I had inspiration thrusted upon me while listening to the Boys of Summer - and what was first conjured as a brief one-shot of Summer Love turned into a quaint think piece about Tony and how he could theoretically react to his two 'children' verging close to something else entirely.

_**Nobody on the road,** _

_**Nobody on the beach,** _

_**I feel it in the air,** _

_**The summers out of reach...** _

Tony watches the boys - _his boys_ \- in wandering fascination. From the coiffed jeans of his young protégé to the oily-slicked back hair of the firstly 'adopted'.

The oil, by miserable chance, is quite literal. Itself motor-based and desperately trying to be removed from the scalp-

"Hold still-!" Peter hollers, glee bounded and sparked - a flame that breathes new life to the room, perpetuated and hefty as Harley screeches in defiance to his doings.

His own head budging up - and seeking to leave the sleek and silver prison that is the sink.

"Harls - s-stop-!"

"Its cold-!"

_**Empty lakes, empty streets,** _

_**The sun goes down alone,** _

_**I'm driving by your house,** _

_**Though I know you're not home...** _

The two are rambunctious - loud, and ever trying to out rank one another. Have been all Summer. With Peter reaching to take role in protector and helper, always aiding to please the other - and to be the first to accommodate his needs. Even if such measurements are in direct anguish to Harley's attempts at solving his own error and trials.  
  
And such 'measures' are originally thought as just that - accommodations from one child to another. Both wanting to be brothers - but both fighting to be the elder. One by way of guiding direction, and the other in desperate pursuit of validating his place on a non-given pedestal.

Though as the Tennessee teen breaks free - whipping droplets about the floor as he detonates forward, grounding palms onto an opposite waist - Tony eclipses. His eyes catching tell tale signs of fond smiles - subjected and hidden behind peels of chorused laughter.

_**But I can see you,** _

_**Your brown skin shining in the sun,** _

_**You got your hair combed back,** _

_**And your sunglasses on, baby...** _

How many times had he made such a scene - with the bold moves conspicuous, before deftly turning direct? Touches morphing into words - and words into physical altercations.

_**I can tell you,** _

_**My love for you will still be strong,** _

_**After the boys of Summer have gone...** _

Summer, he echoes. Yes - he had opted to let their time breath - to unite his two in the hopes to arriving at some semblance, and alliance, of a family. One that wouldn't easily shatter in the course of a week.

But tossed about Peter's squeals of delight - measured in flushed cheeks and chapped lips - such boundaries bend and conform. The alliance tainting into colors of a different variant.

"You're wet-!"

"Your fault, Petey-"

Its a necessity that he chooses to look away, finding the looking imprudent and vaguely close to voyeurism. Especially as Peter snakes about Harley, his clasping to entrap the taller boy with his own arms behind his back, successfully demeaning - and offhandedly predatory.

_**I never will forget those nights,** _

_**I wonder if it was a dream,** _

_**Remember how you made me crazy?** _

_**Remember how I made you scream?** _

Short lived is that bubble of privacy - with a little less than a few seconds played before his rounding out is opted, and he catches Harley's struggle to break free. His face wilted in surprise, and accosted by the brunette's strength.

He doesn't know - he thinks. Neither know. Neither see - too outside the knowledge, and still yet too young and unsure of their stories in the world and of the riddles that they may face.

Or of the hearts that they may break and chase.

  
  
_**Now I don't understand what happened to our love,** _

_**But babe, I'm gonna get you back,** _

**_I'm_ ** _**going to show you what I'm made of...** _

"I give," Harley harshly grits - smitten glee strung like a yuletide wreath - the joyous bells and whistles enamoring and enchanting in the golden light of the lab, "I give-"

"Head," Peter then briskly nods, "sink - now-"

He bows.

  
  
_**I can see you,** _

_**Your brown skin shining in the sun,** _

_**I see you walking real slow and,** _

_**Smiling at everyone...** _

  
  
He attempts yet again - hands seeking to tinker and busy themselves, the music swelling as he draws attention to the arm following after the record - needle bobbling like a cork.

**_I can tell you,_ **

**_My love for you will still be strong,_ **

**_After the boys of Summer have gone..._ **

  
  
"Yes, dear-" the southern voice spites, giggles in line - and water quick to submerge his head.

And Tony conceals his own smirk by way of tuning up the track - instrumental break flooding the pause, and ceasing the sounds behind him. Drowning him in familiar wake - of a time often left to flounder, of a life behind him - marked and leveled much like the heart that Pepper had encased in glass for him.

Only the trophies of such are less admirable now - though just as lovingly beautiful. Sinful and boisterous.

_**Out on the road today,** _

_**I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac,** _

_**A little voice inside my head said,** _

_**"Don't look back, you can never look back,"** _

He doesn't dare intrude a moment longer-

_**I thought I knew what love was,** _

_**What did I know?** _

_**Those days are gone forever,** _

_**I should just let them go, but...** _

They'll learn-

  
  
_**I can see you,** _

_**Your brown skin shining in the sun,** _

_**You got the top pulled down and the,** _

_**Radio on, baby,** _

_**I can tell you,** _

_**My love for you will still be strong,** _

_**After the boys of Summer have gone...** _

And maybe - just maybe - it hasn't a thing to do with Summer. And the boys - _his boys_ \- have thusly succeeded in his wishes for them to be better. For them to out do his errors and achieve the greatness in which he had always felt too inadequate to hold for himself.

  
  
_**I can see you,** _

_**Your brown skin shining in the sun,** _

_**You got your hair slicked back and those,** _

_**Wayfarers on, baby,** _

  
  
And perhaps...

  
  
_**I can tell you,** _

_**My love for you will still be strong,** _

_**After the boys of Summer have gone.** _

  
  
They're not boys of Summer after all.


End file.
